Eternally Bonded
by Ebony Mitsu
Summary: One remembers nothing, the other knows everything. The bond of sisters is one of the hardest to break and the hardest to survive. Can two girls reclaim what they once lost?


**Title: Eternally Bonded**

**Genre/s: Family, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort**

**Pairing/s: Haruka/Makoto, Haruka/Michiru, Makoto/Artemis, Makoto/Outers**

**Summary: the bond of sisters is one of the strongest in existence. It pulls this way and that, holding many in its sway. Can two girls regain the bond they lost a lifetime ago?**

**(A companion ficlet to a longer story I'm working on called ****Shimai Wa: Eien Hozei (Sisters: Eternally Bonded) arigatou to Ruka-onee from the proboards for the title and the idea.)  
**

**(Btw, Haruka and Michiru are the only pairing in here with anything to do with Romance! Artemis is like an older brother/father or summat to Makoto in this story! Ya got that pplz! Lolz sorry.)**

"_Onee-chan," the little brunette looked up at her sister, four years her senior, with wide green eyes full of love and concern, "onee-chan, what's wrong?"_

_Little Amara, just turned nine, looked at Lita as though just realising she was there. The coolness of the silver-blue eyes softened and warmed at the sight of the emeralds in her baby sister's face._

"_Mother and father are fighting again." Amara said in her quiet tones. The two were sitting in the gazebo in the castle gardens, where Lita had found her sister staring at nothing with a dark look in her eyes._

_The smaller girl's eyes dimmed slightly at the thought. "Is it bad?"_

_Amara looked at Lita. In truth she was worried; she loved her sister more than anything, they were the best of friends, but this newest argument between Zeus of Jupiter and Hera of Uranus was worse than usual. She hid the worry after a moment and smiled, although the smile was sad and her concern still showed._

"_Not as bad as it sounds." She said. Lita gave her a small smile and she carried on. "Don't worry, imouto-chan," Amara ruffled her hair, "nothing will tear us apart. Promise."_

How naive she had been.

Haruka stood in front of the large bay window in the room she shared with Michiru. Her memories of the Silver Millennium had been replaying in her mind more frequently of late. But whereas before they were concerned with her years as a senshi of the Silver Alliance, for some reason they focused more on her childhood.

All the Outer senshi knew that Haruka had a younger sister, and that she was the eldest of the Inner senshi, the Silver Guar; Protectors of the Moon Kingdom Heir. Hotaru, as the youngest Outer during the alliance since she was the same age as Princess Mars, had not known; she had only discovered the information in this life.

Haruka had to go almost every day with seeing her baby sister all grown up and laughing with her friends without knowing that Haruka watched over her.

Arms wrapped around Haruka's waist from behind and Haruka leant back into the embrace of Michiru Kaioh.

"What has you so restless love?" the ocean senshi murmured sleepily.

Haruka turned her head at the question, looking at the aqua-haired girl from the corner of her eye. "Nothing. Just memories."

Michiru frowned. "It can't be just nothing if it keeps you awake." She paused, paying attention to Haruka's stance, the way she held herself. She sensed the loneliness, the sadness. The fear. "Memories of your childhood again?"

Haruka's answer was to look back out at the sunrise.

"Does Sets know about this?" Michiru probed. When haruka nodded but didn't speak she probed deeper. "What did she say?"

"That it would be better for her to remember on her own." Haruka turned away from the sun and looked at Michiru's blue eyes. "I can't stand it, Michi-love. I remember everything. We're closer now than we ever were after our parents' separation. But she doesn't remember anything. None of them remember anything other than who they were and their roles."

Michiru said nothing, for there was nothing she could say. She had no siblings that couldn't remember her. Haruka must be taking it harder than she had thought. She was so near but still so far . . .

"Why don't you talk to her, go to her martial arts class or something. I know you've done it once or twice."

Since Galaxia's defeat and healing, there had been a time of relative peace. The senshi only had to take care of the odd stray youma, and to keep in shape Makoto had taken up a mixed martial arts class. Before that it had been kickboxing. Before that karate. Before that aikido. She had finally settled into this one because it combined them all to some degree. Occasionally Haruka had gone along with her; her full memories had returned after Galaxia and it was a way she tried to be closer to her sister of so long ago.

Haruka nodded distractedly. "Maybe." She sighed and turned to the window again. "When do you think she'll remember?"

Michiru looked at the sunrise to and said nothing. Truth be told she wasn't sure if Makoto would ever remember.

...

_Lita stood beside her father, holding his hand. She was only five, and didn't understand what was happening. But she understood enough to know that it wasn't good._

_Opposite her stood Amara, holding the hand of their mother, Queen Hera of Uranus. The King and Queen of the Kingdoms of Storm and Sky were looking at each other with carefully neutral expressions, but their eyes were ablaze. Lita looked from her father to her mother then dropped her puzzled gaze to Amara. The blonde flinched and turned her head away. _

_The action hurt the small brunette._

"_So we are agreed then?" Zeus said suddenly, his deep baritone breaking the tension of the air. Without a word, Hera nodded. He sighed. "And you are certain that I cannot change your mind, Hera?"_

"_I am certain, Lord Zeus." Hera replied calmly. Her voice was cold and Lita didn't like it; she only heard her mother use that tone when she was angry. _

_Lita looked at her father again, but he either didn't notice or wouldn't return her stare._

"_It is safest, for the children." Hera continued, and now there was actually a slight crack in the mask._

_Zeus nodded in agreement. Although she couldn't understand what was happening right now Lita felt a note of panic._

"_Come, Amara." Hera tugged at the small blonde's hand. Amara didn't budge._

"_Papa?" Lita asked quietly. She was confused. Where were mama and onee-chan going? "Mama?" she spoke louder and with a more urgent tone when she saw Hera tug harder at Amara's arm. _

_Zeus knelt beside her and put his arms around her. "It's ok my little lightning. It's ok." But Lita didn't listen, and as Amara was slowly pulled away she became more frantic and struggled to be free._

"_Onee-chan!"_

_Amara bit her lip. She felt like she had betrayed her sister. She had promised Lita that nothing would separate them, and here she was being dragged away and she was barely resisting._

"_Onee-chan!" Lita was starting to cry. She sensed that if she let Amara be taken away now she wouldn't see her again. "Onee-chan! Mama! Don't go!"_

_Hera didn't even look back as she stepped onto the teleport. She pulled Amara up beside her and didn't even look at the crying girl as she nodded to the attendant._

"Onee-chan_!" she screamed. "You promised! You promised you would stay! You promised, you promised!"_

_Silver-blue eyes looked up, startled by the anger and fear the smaller girl displayed. She opened her mouth to speak too late._

_The teleport flashed and they were gone._

_Lita collapsed sobbing in her father's arms. "She promised. Papa she promised! How could she! Why did Mama leave us?"_

_Was it her? Did her mother and sister leave because of something she had done? Amara had promised her! Why did she break her promise?_

Makoto sat up suddenly, gasping.

"What was that for?"

Makoto looked around, breathing normally again, at the voice. A white shape sat by her bedroom door rubbing its head with a paw. Artemis was staying round Makoto's until Minako came back from her tour.

"Gomen Artemis. Vivid dream." She explained. She heaved herself off the bed and trudged downstairs to her kitchen.

After a pause, Artemis transformed into a human and followed, curious and worried. She had been calling out in her sleep, crying a name and words in Jovian. He doubted she was even aware of it. It had been happening more frequently of late.

"Are you ok?" he asked as he entered the brightly lit kitchen. Makoto stood by the kettle, boiling water, for hot chocolate, if the smell was anything to go by.

The tall girl sighed. "I don't know." She muttered. Artemis stood beside her and waited for her to continue. She did. "It's like some of my memories are trying to break out, but I can't make any sense of them." She poured the boiling water carefully as she thought it over. As she stirred the coco she looked at him curiously. "Did I have a sister in the Silver Millennium?"

"Eh?" he was a little taken aback at the sudden question, but when she simply raised an eyebrow and didn't say anything he sighed and answered her. "Now that you mention it, there might have been someone . . ."

"Who?" she asked urgently. This dream was driving her _crazy_.

He bit his lip and seemed to droop, reminding her painfully of the little blonde girl in her dream/memory. She was familiar but she couldn't remember why. "I'm sorry, Makoto, but I can't tell you anything." He looked at her and seemed truly sorry. "You have to figure this out on your own."

She nodded and turned back to her drink, disappointed. She'd figured it would be something like that.

They sat at the table in silence for what seemed like an hour, he watching her worriedly – he'd never seen her so depressed! – she lost to her thoughts. If she could only realise where she'd seen that girl!

Makoto hadn't known she had had a mother back then, at least one that was alive long enough to remember. She knew she had been raised by her father, Zeus, alone. Wait . . . that wasn't strictly true; the soldiers had helped as well by teaching her how to train, how to fight, even how to dance and ice skate and all the other things she had and still loved to do. The memory of her mother and a sister was new to her.

'_He called her Hera . . .'_ Makoto thought slowly. Another familiar name. But _why_?

A little blonde with silver-blue eyes. Shoulder-length hair. Her face in shadow from Makoto's point of view.

'_Who is she?'_

Hera . . . she was the key. If Makoto could just remember where she'd heard that name before, and the name of the girl, _Amara_ . . .

She stared into the cooling liquid in her mug as though it would give her the answer. Maybe it would.

Images replayed in her mind. She and the Amara in the gazebo, she knew that she was Lita and that it was a memory, it had to be. Amara . . . where on Earth had she heard that name before? Hera walked away and pulled Amara with her. Makoto felt the sting of long-shed tears prick her eyes. _'Amara, who _are_ you?'_

Another memory played in her mind, one that she'd never paid much mind to. The first time the Inner Senshi had seen their Outer planetary counter-parts.

"_They're the Outer Planetary Senshi," whispered Lady Venus to the others as they watched the three young women step from the teleport pad and bow to Queen Selenity. "Sailors Uranus, Neptune and Pluto."_

"_What about Saturn?" Lady Mars whispered back._

"_Sailor Saturn is too powerful and dangerous to be awakened." Lady Mercury informed them, never taking her eyes off of Sailor Neptune, her long-distant cousin. "She has a place in the Outer Planetary System, but she is kept in slumber until she is needed. Her power is a last resort for the Silver Alliance."_

_Lady Jupiter watched a tall blonde – Sailor Uranus – bow to the Moon Queen and Princess Serenity. There was something familiar about her that she couldn't place. She narrowed green eyes in concentration, but the thought wouldn't surface._

_As though sensing that she was being watched, Sailor Uranus turned her head and looked directly at Lady Jupiter. The tall brunette didn't flinch at the expressionless gaze, although the other three gasped. She stared back levelly, willing her memory to tell her what was so special about the woman._

_Sailor Uranus narrowed her eyes slightly and smirked as she turned to follow the others inside._

_Silver-blue eyes . . ._

Makoto looked up suddenly, the last bits of memory falling into place.

Hera was the _Sky Queen_, the Queen of the Uranian Kingdom! Her daughter and heir was Princess _Amara_! Amara was Sailor _Uranus_ in the Silver Millennium! Sailor Uranus _now_ was . . .

"I have to go!" Makoto said suddenly, running into the hall to grab her coat and shoes. She had completely forgotten that she was still in her pj's.

"What? Why?" Artemis sprang up from his chair, shocked at the rapid action of the Thunder Senshi. "Makoto, what's the hurry!"

"It can't wait!" she said, jamming her feet into trainers and shrugging her jacket as she opened the door. "I know who Amara is! I think I've figured it out. I have to see if I'm right."

The door swung open and she disappeared into the night.

Artemis wiped a hand over his face and smiled. "_Finally_, everything is coming together again." He went to call Luna.

Makoto meanwhile was pounding pavement. She had never been so glad of her athletic abilities. Abilities only matched before by Princess Amara and now by Haruka Tenou.

'_How could I have been so _stupid_! _Green_ eyes! We both have the _same_ green eyes now!'_

She took long, quick strides, her long legs carrying her quickly to her destination. It was an hour's walk to the Outers' mansion and a storm was due. She could feel it. Her eyes blazed with her new knowledge of her past.

'_Why the hell didn't she _say_ something?'_

Setsuna had probably sworn her to secrecy, same as Artemis had been.

_You have to figure this out on your own . . ._

'_I bet she's known all this time and she hasn't said a word! She's probably been watching me all this time, knowing and unable to do _anything_ about it! And she never said a _word_! Not a hint of it! Gods she must feel _terrible_!'_

Makoto took steady, even breaths. A light rain started and she ignored it. The drizzle became a torrent and lightning crackled in time with her thoughts. She didn't care anymore. She had to see her.

'_Haruka why didn't you say anything?'_

She skidded to a stop at the gate of the mansion and burst through it as soon as she'd gotten the side gate open. She ran all the way up to the door and nearly crashed into it in her haste, instead she tripped on the mat and her hand hit the door with a loud _thud_ as she fell.

Michiru walked to the door when she heard the noise; she had been at the bottom of the stairs and had shouted that she'd get it when she saw Setsuna and Hotaru start to move. It had been a couple of days since she and Haruka had had that talk and the blonde Wind Senshi had gone very quiet. Quieter than usual.

She opened the door and looked out, seeing no one. When she looked at the floor she saw Makoto cradling her hand and wincing.

"Koto-chan?"

Makoto looked up at her voice. Michiru could see that the girl was dripping wet and breathing heavily; she must have run through the storm.

"Koto-chan, what have you been doing out in this storm?" she said. She grabbed the nearest jacket – Haruka's denim – and hurried to put it over the brunette's shoulders. "Come in, get out of the storm. Sheesh I know you're the Storm Senshi but even you are not immune to pneumonia you know."

She hustled Makoto into the living room, whispered an explanation to Setsuna and left the girl in the care of her friend and adopted daughter while she went to fetch a hot drink. She came back through with a hot and sweet tea and handed Makoto the cup. Makoto raised her right wrist, winced and took it with her left instead.

"You must have sprained it when you fell." Michiru observed. Hotaru had fetched a towel and a blanket for her and was attempting to towel-dry the long auburn-chestnut locks that hung over the tall girl's shoulders. Makoto wore her hair down for bed. It was an image the other senshi were not used to seeing, if any had seen her like this at all.

Makoto nodded and looked at the coffee table. Now that she was here she felt less urgent.

"You're not even dressed." Michiru pointed out, trying to get the girl to say something at least, but Makoto only shrugged. She was silent. _'So much like Ruka . . .'_

"Makoto-san." Said girl looked at Setsuna quickly; the older woman was smiling gently. "What made you run all the way here in this storm?"

Makoto looked back at the cup. "I remember . . . something." she said at last, her voice croaking slightly. "I had to see if I was right." She looked up at Setsuna, and now her eyes brimmed with tears and her voice was raised. "You have to tell me if I'm right!"

Setsuna nodded at her, both agreeing and answering an unspoken question. She had known this would happen sooner or later. Makoto froze. She hadn't expected confirmation so soon. Heck, she hadn't expected to be right!

Michiru and Hotaru shared a look. They suspected what this might be about; Setsuna had warned them to expect the girl's arrival at some point, but they weren't sure.

A key turned in the front door and they all – Makoto included – turned to look in the direction of the sound. Footfalls echoed in the hallway as the newcomer called out.

"Yikes it's wet out there! Setsuna? I got the stuff you asked for! I don't know why you just _had_ to have orange-brownie ice cream so late at night so urgently but I got it! You're not pregnant are you?"

All eyes turned to the Time senshi sitting calmly in their midst. She remained unruffled, perfectly composed but for the tiny smile on her lips and in her eyes. She had set this up. She had known this would happen tonight and had set it up so that Haruka wasn't here to witness Makoto's abrupt arrival.

"I do not recommend going outside tonight guys, it's a nightmare. I'm lucky I didn't go off the road!" Haruka walked in with a plastic bag in one hand and her hair dripping wet and stopped short at the sight of Makoto sitting between Hotaru and Michiru. They were all – minus Setsuna, who was sipping her tea – staring at her.

"Did i miss something here?" Haruka asked, a little unnerved by the staring. Then she took in the state that was Makoto. "Koto-chan! What did you do go for a swim in your pj's?" she grabbed the towel from around the girls shoulders and yanked her up to try and dry her off a bit more. "Jeeze kid you're gonna catch a cold like that! Why the hell did you go out in this storm huh?"

Haruka, in her uncharacteristic panic, missed the knowing smiles exchanged by the other Outers. Makoto continued to stare at her and it unnerved Haruka even more; for once she couldn't read the girl.

She touched the back of her hand to Makoto's forehead. "You don't seem to have a temperature." She muttered. "Come on we need to get you changed. I bet you just ran out into the storm didn't you. You've probably given the cat a scare too. Do you have any idea how dangerous that was Makoto?"

She was trying to drag Makoto upstairs; her own clothes would have to do, she didn't think Hotaru or Michiru's clothes would fit her and Setsuna only had a couple of things in her wardrobe. When Makoto snatched her wrist away – the one that she had sprained on her arrival – Haruka swung around with a slightly angry hiss. But she wasn't angry at Makoto; she was more relieved that she was unharmed.

Makoto was staring into eyes an almost identical emerald to her own, searching them for her answer, and it hit her again how stupid it was that no one, not even the genius Ami, had figured it out. _'The _same_ eyes . . .'_

"Koto-chan?" Haruka asked. She was confused and she hadn't missed the wince as the girl had torn her arm out of her grip.

Makoto's eyes brimmed with tears.

"Koto-chan?" now she was worried again. She couldn't deal with a crying Makoto. She couldn't deal with a crying _anybody_! "What's wrong? Did something happen? Is it Usagi-chan? What is it? Did I do something wrong? Has someone hurt you?"

Behind them the others shared more knowing looks. Haruka was acting _exactly_ like a concerned older sister, and Makoto could see it. Makoto just had to act on the information she was being given.

"Koto-chan, please, don't cry, I can't do anything if you start to cry." Haruka babbled, unable to stop the useless words falling from her mouth.

Makoto sniffed. Haruka blanched; _'Oh shite!'_

"Onee-chan!" Makoto flung herself on her sister, knocking the older woman back into the doorframe.

Haruka stood there frozen for a few seconds, stunned, her arms full of sobbing brunette. She had not expected that. Then her gaze softened and she looked down at Makoto, tightening her grip_. 'She remembers.'_ Unable to support them both in the awkward stance she had been forced to take when the younger woman had thrown herself at her, Haruka slid to a sitting position on the floor.

"Hey, it's ok. Don't cry. Please?" she asked softly. Makoto nodded into Haruka's shirt, still crying.

The others all smiled at each other, glad that the two sisters had been re-united at last. They all knew that this meant the world to the both of them; orphans with no family, to have suddenly found family that one of them at least had never known she had.

A thought occurred to Hotaru, and she voiced it suddenly, breaking the atmosphere of the room.

"Does this mean that Mako-onee-san can come live with us?"

Michiru and Setsuna blinked.


End file.
